The Ultimate Clique
by all the shattered pieces
Summary: SYOC closed * Massie and the Pretty Committee get invited to be in a contest hosted by Shira Brazille to find the ultimate clique along with ten other cliques from all across America. Who knows what will happen in this crazy adventure? After all, the only thing harder than getting in is staying in, and it'll take everything the PC has to stay in this contest and win...
1. Prologue - Claire Lyons

I've had a life with may twists and turns and lots of bumps in the road, but some of these were for the better, despite how awful they seemed at the time.

There are two I can think of, and they tie together in a mysterious way that nobody could've seen coming. The first was the death of my grandmother right after my seventh grade year.

My grandmother Louise, on my mom's side, was a really smart person. She taught me so much that I've used in my life, and I was with her the day she died. And, in a soft voice, she told me something I've never forgotten, not in all my years.

"Claire, there's so much coming ahead in your life that you can't even imagine right now," she said. "You'll have great moments, and terrible moments. But sometime in your life, you'll meet amazing people that can change everything. These people, these amazing people, are there for a reason. You have to hold on to them, and treasure them, and never let them go. These people, Claire, can change your destiny. You have to watch for these people to come in your life. Just wait patiently, and sooner or later, they'll come."

She gave me the news, the alert that special people were in my destiny. I just had no idea how soon they would come into that silly little destiny of mine.

I always thought that my destiny was something prewritten into the fabric of the Universe, that this would always be how things were supposed to turn out. But these special people could rewrite my destiny, something that wasn't as solid as I thought, but rather fluid and bended by others, bended by my own choices.

The other major change was something that wasn't what anybody could've fathomed would happen. Many bad things happened, but so many good things did too. I'm still puzzling over it, but I don't think anybody would write some of those bad things into the destiny of the Universe itself.

Partway through my eighth grade year, so many of these special people came into my life. They came in a dark time, and together we stood and rode out everything that was thrown at us. They turned my life from a horrible experience, just something that I wanted to end already and just be over, into the best thing that ever happened to me.

Later, after this incident, I told my best friend about what my grandmother had told me before she died. My friend and another one of the very special people I hold dear to me, Massie Block, told me she thought they were the angels that wrote out our destiny and decided to bless our lives to heal the Universe a little bit at a time, to bring some happiness into every life.

Maybe they are angels, and maybe they do write out our destiny for us, millions and billions and trillions of years before we come around. If my destiny was always supposed to be this way, I wonder who wrote these amazing people, these angels, into my life, and if I can ever thank them for what they've done.

But if my destiny was always supposed to be flexible, then I would've never made the acquaintance of so many angels, because I wouldn't have been entered in a contest against my will by my friend Kristen Gregory.

Either way, my destiny, my path, was blessed with many angels that did so much for me. I am the person I am today because of them, and there's not a single thing I would change.

So the question remains, who are these special people? Are they really angels that write themselves into the legend that is our history? Or are they just normal humans that happen to be extraordinary in so many ways that can brighten our lives?

This is the story of these special people, the lives they affected, the lives they led, and where we ended up because of them. And they all claim I was among their ranks of angels, because I was in this adventure as much as they were. I don't consider myself an angel, but maybe none of us do. Maybe us angels never know our identity until the very end.

Read my story, my friends, and decide for yourself.


	2. Chapter 1 - Massie Block

**The Ultimate Clique National Contest!**

Congratulations Massie! You and your clique, the Pretty Committee, have been selected to take part in a national contest to find the ultimate clique!

Your clique, the Pretty Committee, has been chosen to represent the Mid-Atlantic region. There are eleven regions counted by the Ultimate Clique judge panel: Alaska, Hawaii, Pacific coast, Mountain, Heartland, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, New England, Appalachian Highlands, Southeast, and Southwest. Represent your region well, for we got many submissions, yet recognized you as one of the best.

This contest will be set in the town of Kidwell, Nebraska. The host of the contest, Shira Brazille, will pay for your plane tickets and food costs.

Please report to the address below by April 3rd or be disqualified. Your tickets are enclosed in the envelope you got this letter in.

Thank you for submitting, and best of luck to you!

* * *

"Massie, you got this in the mail!" Kendra Block, Massie's mother, called out from the foyer. "Somebody called Shira Brazille sent it, something about a contest?"

Massie appeared at the top of the stairs. "Huh? Why would I have mail from Shira?"

"I don't know. Just read it and tell me what it says."

Massie hurried down the steps with her black pug Bean right on her heels. She tore the envelope from her mother's hands and read the letter, then turned the envelope upside down and shook a plane ticket into her hand. Without saying anything, she ran upstairs. She got on her computer and found an email in her inbox from Kristen. Massie flipped her hair over her shoulder and opened the email from her best friend.

* * *

Kristen Gregory:  
Hey guys! Um, by now, I guess you got the acceptance letter from Shira Brazille, and you're probably very confused.

Well, I was at the movies with my cousins in Iowa, and I saw a poster outside the theater for the contest. I knew you guys would want to enter, so Dylan and I entered for you.

I didn't think we would be picked, but I guess we were. We'll be leaving for it soon, and I'm really excited, because MY MOM SAID I COULD GO!

Start packing, Pretty Committee, because it's time to finally prove that we're the best clique out there!

xox Kristen

* * *

Massie closed the email and smiled.

"Bean, come!" she said as she went in her walk-in closet. "I need to find my suitcases. I'm packing for Nebraska!"

* * *

**A/N:**

**Hey! This is my first SYOC in a long time, and I hope it'll be really good. There's a link on my profile to the forum, where you can get the form for your character. Please submit! I need at least nine girls, maybe more!**

**xox wild and broken eyes**


	3. Chapter 2 - Helen Lancaster

"Helen!"

I ignored my sister Melissa calling me and focused on the music book propped on my bookshelf, the closest thing I had to a music stand. I was working on a new song on my flute, and I had been playing for a while. I really didn't want to be interrupted.

Melissa flung open the door. "Helen, I know you heard me calling." I sighed, making a small squeak come out of my flute, and set it down on the desk next to my math homework due on Monday. "Look, I get it," she said, sighing. "It's a Saturday morning, you don't want to have to put up with me today, whatever. I'm leaving for the restaurant in twenty minutes, and I still have to shower. Are you going to hang out at Cat's apartment today?"

My best friend, Cat Hollister, lives in the apartment next to my sister's. I shook my head, and my dishwater blonde bangs fell behind my glasses. I paused to brush them out of my eyes, and then responded.

"No, she's going to visit her cousins today." Seeing my sister's worried expression, I tried to reassure her. "I'll be fine by myself. I'm sixteen, okay? I'm responsible enough to drive."

"You don't have your license yet," she pointed out as she left my room.

I resumed struggling through the piece, but gave up after my throat got dry from blowing. Setting my flute back in its case, I headed to the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

"Helen, can you get the mail before I go?" Melissa requested.

"Sure." I left the apartment and headed down the stairs. I grabbed our mail and headed back up.

There was a bunch of stuff addressed to my sister, and an envelope for me. I never got mail, not even from my dad.

Which wasn't surprising. My mom left us when I was three and died in a car crash, and as soon as Melissa moved out, I went with her and he moved somewhere else. Neither of us has heard from him since. I don't mind it, though. In fact, I like it. I'm safe with Melissa, and I love her. I mean, she didn't go to college so that she could take care of me. That's love, right?

Once inside the apartment, I threw the mail into the bowl on the small kitchen table and opened up my envelope as I slid into a chair. I read it, then screamed.

Melissa ran out of the bathroom, hairbrush in hand and makeup halfway applied. "Helen? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I responded. "Look at this! Read it!" She took the letter from me and scanned it breathlessly. Then she looked up at me expectantly.

"Well, be glad that it's all paid for by this Shira woman, otherwise I wouldn't let you go," she said with a smile.

"You mean… I can go?" I asked, disbelievingly. She nodded, and I grinned. "Thank you so, so, so much! Cat wanted to do this so much, and I told her I would, and she'll be so happy that we got in!"

"While you're gone for however long this'll take, I'm going to look for a better job," she told me with a smile. "So thanks."

"But you love being a waitress," I exclaimed. "I mean, you say all the time that it doesn't pay well, but if you love it, then…" I trailed off, not sure where I was going with this.

Melissa noticed. "I'm twenty-nine. I can't be a waitress forever, you know," she responded with a sigh. "As much as I'd like to be, it just won't work."

"Well, what are you going to do, then?" I asked.

"Dunno, whatever job I can get. Maybe beauty school?" She laughed, and then headed back into the bathroom to finish her makeup. "Just... I do love being a waitress, but sometimes you have to do something hard to have a better life even if it's not what you want to do. Oh, and don't forget to lock the door behind me!" she added, almost as an afterthought.

Maybe I could make some friends at the competition. That is, if anybody would want to be friends with me. But there would be people from all over. I could meet somebody I would've never known if I weren't going. I could meet another girl that could be the type of friend that would change my life.

* * *

**Guys don't worry I'm still deciding, Helen is one of my OCs. And if you start complaining how it's unfair that one of my characters is just in the story, I actually filled out a form and tried to send it to myself. Unfortunately, this didn't work.**

**But whatever. **

**There's still time to send in your character! Just go to my profile, click the link to my forum, and get the form. But send it in by PM please, not just leave it as a reply. Trust me, it messes up my brain.**

**There are still characters I need from Alaska, New England, and the Southwest, nobody's submitted for them yet (just to give you a general idea of what to submit). And please, NOBODY from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Delaware, because that's the Mid-Atlantic region, aka the Pretty Committee's region, and I filled them up already.**

**Also, don't get mad if you submit a character from, say, Ohio, but in the story they're from Oregon. I need to change some things to make everything fit. Okay? **

**And if it's not, don't submit and don't read it. Simple.**


	4. Chapter 3 - Tash Edwards

Chapter 3 – Tash Edwards

I rolled over in my bed to face the clock. 9:43 AM. It was still too early for me. I had a hangover from a party I was at until past midnight. My girlfriend, Katherine, had been with me. She'd crashed in my room (even though it wasn't serious at all between us) and left about an hour earlier.

It was easy to see why I was so tired. I tried to go back to sleep, but it was useless. I was awake.

"Tash!" One of my younger sisters, Kara, was calling me. "I'm making toast with Amaryllis, but she keeps messing it up! And Wesley keeps teasing Dirk!"

_Damn those two_, I thought as I sat up. _Always getting in trouble, making me lose sleep…_

"Coming!" I yelled back. I pushed off my blanket and got dressed in a pair of jean cutoffs, a mint green tank top, and my blue flip-flops. As I pulled my hair out of its messy ponytail, our two dogs, Cooper and Royce, rushed towards the stairs. Kara followed them closely, her long blonde hair flowing out behind her.

Our entire family had the same white-blonde hair and dark brown eyes. However, I'd put neon purple, lime green and hot pink streaks all through mine. It got me grounded for a week, but I used permanent dye, so my mom couldn't make me remove them.

"Tash, please help us out," she begged as I walked down the hallway towards the kitchen. "Mom already left for the restaurant, and Dad took Griffin to physical therapy. And Dirk's crying because Wesley hit him, but he won't stop hitting him! And Amaryllis burnt the toast - again!"

"Sorry sis," I said, checking my phone. "I have to cover Marcy's shift at the restaurant, then I have a date with Tony, and after that I have to go to a party with Kent."

Kent and Tony were two of my boyfriends, as was Jake. That does mean I'm dating four people at once. I like them all, so whatever. I don't know if they know I'm cheating though.

Katherine did mention that she saw me kiss Jake when she drove past my house. Shit, does that mean she knows? What if they all know?

"Tash!" Kara stopped and glared at me, hands on her hips. "You're the only one they listen to, though! You have to help!"

I sighed. "Get Dirk watching TV and have Wesley take Cooper on a walk," I ordered. Our brown lab wagged her tail when she heard this. "And if Amaryllis burns the toast, don't let her make it. Give her some cheerios or whatever. I'm late."

"When will you be back?" Kara looked at me worriedly. "Mom has to work late tonight because some couple booked Lilly's Grill for their wedding reception, and Dad's going to be busy with Griffin all day. I can't babysit all day. I'm only eleven."

I sighed again. She was capable of "babysitting" them. Kara was more mature than I was.

"Fine. I'll cancel with Tony. But I'm not missing that party tonight, and Marcy needs me to cover her shift."

"You're too young to be working!"

"I'm going to be sixteen in two months. I can handle a shift waitressing at Mom's place."

As the oldest, I had to be responsible, and that meant helping out around the house. I had to skip to cover for my best friend because she had to go visit her niece yesterday and wouldn't be back until an hour before her shift ended, and Kara always got mad when I wasn't "being the responsible one." I didn't want to be responsible, and I wasn't.

I mean, I got a tattoo when I was fourteen.

"That's not a word."

"I don't give a damn, Kara," I said as I entered the kitchen. She moved to set things back in order.

"Don't cuss."

"Don't fucking boss me around, then." I loved teasing her.

"Fine. Just go, it opens in ten minutes."

I glanced at the clock above the sink. 9:51, indeed ten minutes before Lilly's Grill opens for the day.

"Shit," I muttered. "I'll be back around two, okay?"

"Don't cuss!"

"Bye, Kara!" I ran out the door and onto the sidewalk, grabbing my bag as I left. It had my emergency Lilly's Grill shirt in it for when I had to work unexpectedly.

Mom's restaurant was very successful and had been open since before I was born. It was on the other side of town, but only eight minutes from our house – and that was on foot, too. My hometown of Brass Lake, Iowa, was ridiculously small. There were only two elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, and a preschool, plus two grocery stores, about five gas stations, a movie theater, three restaurants, four neighborhoods, a bunch of shops, and the lake.

Basically everybody knew everybody, and I was the party girl with weird hair and a tattoo of a Rubix cube. Nice, right?

But since there were only about a hundred people in my grade level, I had at some point hooked up with everybody and kissed almost all of those people. And that was including all the straight girls, too.

That was about as much of an adventure as you could have in Brass Lake, second only to a day on one of the three small islands right in the middle that were technically illegal to go on. The police really didn't care about a bunch of teenagers crashing on an island for a night as long as we didn't set anything on fire, so we were good. There was a party there tonight. It was on the biggest island, Beaver Ruin.

My favorite was a woody island, the middle-sized one, called Eagle Cry. It had a big clearing in the middle and a little inlet for parking boats.

The one nobody ever went to was tiny with dense bushes and called Thrush Hollow. Sometimes, though, on hot summer days when we were on one of the bigger islands, we'd dare each other to swim over there and explore. Every time, though, we all ended up jumping in the murky water right behind and swimming the short distance across the shallow part between the islands to join them and run, laughing, through the bracken, getting eaten alive by the mosquitos and scratched by branches but not giving a damn about it because we were having fun.

About a minute away from the restaurant, I dashed off the sidewalk and ducked behind some tall bushes. I pulled my shirt out of my bag and tugged it over my head, fixed my hair, and ran the rest of the way to Lilly's Grill, where I began my shift.

* * *

I left sweaty and tired, holding a to-go cup of diet Coke in one hand and my bag in the other. It had been a major lunch rush with lots of tourists (people actually came to Brass Lake by choice to go boating) and I ended up about an hour later than I was supposed to be. Kara yelled at me when I got home. I ignored her and sat on the front porch.

My phone started to ring, and I answered it without looking.

"Hello?" I said.

"Tash, where the hell are you?" It was Tony.

"Sorry, I had to work at the restaurant today, and Kara made me cancel so I could babysit the little ones. I though I told you."

"Well, you didn't." Tony was the most dramatic of all my boyfriends. I swear, he was worst than most girls.

"God, babe, I'm sorry. It was kind of a short-notice thing."

"Whatever, Tash."

"Tony, I made a mistake, okay?"

"You're probably just going to blow me off again for that party with Kent."

"How the hell do you know about that?"

"You told me." Oops.

"I did?"

"Yeah."

"Well, sorry. You know how it is with me."

"I know you're cheating on me with three other guys."

"Actually," I said awkwardly, "Katherine's a girl."

"Whatever, Tash. I don't even know why we're still dating."

"Because I like you! And I want to be with you! I do! I just want to be with other people too, okay?"

"Bye Tash."

"Wait, Tony, can't you come over?"

He paused. "Maybe."

"See you at my place in ten."

"Okay. Bye."

* * *

After Tony left half an hour later, Wesley ran outside with an envelope in his hand. "Tash, it's for you!"

I grabbed it from him and tore it open. Yes! I got in!

"I'm in, I'm in, YES! Best day ever!" I could finally say adios to this hell of a place!

"You mean the contest?" he asked. Everybody knew about it from my long fights with my parents about letting me go if I got in. Eventually, they gave in, since they thought it would be a "good learning experience" for me.

"Yes! I'm in! And I'm leaving next week!"

"Go pack, then, moron."

"Right!" Goodbye, Brass Lake! All thoughts of Tony, Kent, and the party left my head as I ran upstairs. All that mattered was that I was finally out of this place!

* * *

**A/N: Keep those OCs coming, guys! I still need 23 characters to fill up every single empty spot! And I changed it, so I can allow THREE submissions per author! That means you can submit, one, two, or three characters! (And here's a secret: if you submit, you're guaranteed a spot in since I need so many more people.)**

**And by the chapter where all the cliques arrive, which should be chapter 12, you can vote for your favorite clique on the poll on my profile! Very important to the story!**

**I'll keep the chapters coming so we can get to that point as soon as possible. I'm having just as much fun writing this as you are reading it (hopefully).**

**xox wild and broken eyes**


	5. Chapter 4 - Ayumi Hamasaki

I woke up to the monotonous beeping of my alarm clock that sounded every day at 7 AM. Since it was spring, there was the same amount of daylight in my hometown of Anchorage, Alaska that there would normally be in mainland USA, but temperatures rarely went above 50 degrees. Basically I wasn't like my best friend Nana Atwa that had lived in Maine for a few years and had counted on the sun as her alarm clock.

Pushing the navy blue and lavender striped blanket off of me, I sat up and looked out the window. As usual, the only view was the courtyard of our house. I got up and walked across the cold floor of my bedroom, which was painted all white, much like the rest of our house. I crossed my mostly empty room and pushed open the door to my bathroom, where I brushed my teeth and combed the tangles out of my dark hair. Then I entered my closet and pulled on a pair of jeans, a dark gray sweater, and a pair of socks with blue paw prints.

I then walked into the kitchen to get breakfast. My dog, Beloved, saw me come in and started wagging his tail like crazy. He ran over to me and jumped up. "Hey boy," I giggled. "Hi. Yes, good morning to you too!"

My maid (and somebody I considered family, often more so than my real family) Heather came in holding a partially chewed cable. "Ayumi, your dog chewed up my phone charger," she said. "I'm not mad, just curious as to why he would do that."

"I don't know," I responded. "He probably just got tired of his chew toys or something. You can borrow mine if it'll fit. Could you get me an egg from the fridge?"

"Of course."

I opened one of the cabinets and pulled out a frying pan. I set it on the stove and turned on the burner. Heather handed me an egg, and I cracked it one the side of the pan. I let it drop into the pan and hoisted myself onto the counter as I waited for it to cook.

"Oh, Ayumi, I almost forgot," Heather said. She opened the drawer where we kept our mail and pulled out a large, snowy white envelope. "This came for you yesterday. It's from somebody named Shira Brazille."

"Thank you so much," I said as she handed it to me. I knew what it was. It was the acceptance letter into the contest! She'd only reply if you got in, I knew that much. Either way, I tore it open and read it. My hopes were confirmed! I got in! I leaped off of the counter and hugged Heather from behind.

"I got in! I got in; I'm in that contest! I told you about it! And now I'm in! I'm going to Nebraska! I have to pack, because it's next week!"

I was just so excited to be able to go! I would make my parents look really good, and I would make them proud. And maybe I would even win! Plus, as much as I loved my home, it got lonely with only Heather and Beloved around. My parents were always away on business, my mother visiting her various store locations and my dad taking care of the dogs he breeds, and might actually notice me for once if I won a contest.

"Congratulations!" Heather responded. She hurried over to the frying pan to flip my now forgotten breakfast, despite the blackened underside. I really didn't care, as I thought that the whole burnt-food campfire taste was kind of good. "I already spoke to your parents about it, and they said you may go as long as you will be in school there."

"I will be!" I told her. "It was in the information packet. I'm going to the local public school there!"

"Hmm. Cela pourrait ne pas être bon, vous avez seulement jamais été scolarisés à domicile. Que faire si vous faites de mauvaises notes, ou vous ne vous entendez pas avec les autres enfants, ou quelque chose d'autre se passe mal?" Heather muttered to herself in French. Whenever she got worked up, she'd speak French. It was funny sometimes.

"Don't worry. I'm sure I'll be fine," I told her, trying my best to reassure her. "I go to online school, so it's pretty much like normal school, and I make good grades there. And I get along just fine with my classmates. You have nothing to worry about."

"Fine," she said. "I can trust you to be mature and handle yourself. Now, let me find your suitcases. What is weather like in Nebraska anyways?" Beloved sat and stared at me as I ate my breakfast, his one blue eye and one silver eye catching my attention even when I looked away.

"I'll miss you too, boy," I murmured. "It'll be far away. I know. But I promise you, I'll come back soon, okay?"

* * *

I was in my room studying for a test I had on Monday when Heather barged in holding two suitcases. "Pack short sleeves and all your pairs of jeans, plus a few pairs of shorts and some long sleeves. Make sure you don't forget socks and a dress if there's a special occasion. And your mother said she's very pleased that you made it in to such an exclusive contest, and that she had her personal assistant pick up a little present for you," she said all in one breath. "Here, it's an eyeshadow from her new line. She says it'll make your eyes look very good." Heather handed me a small black container with shimmery rose colored powder inside.

It was rare to get gifts like this from my mother, who never gave away things from her latest line except on very very very very special occasions, like my aunt's wedding. And even then, she just let me use it and didn't let me keep it afterwards. And I never really got gifts at all from my father. The only thing I got from him was my dog, which he wouldn't sell anyways because of his two different colored eyes.

"Now pack," she commanded, dropping the suitcases on my rug at the foot of my bed. "I'll help."

Then it sunk in that I was actually going. I got in, and I was going to Nebraska for a contest. I would win and make my parents proud. I would have an adventure. I would make new friends. In just one week, my entire life would change forever. And I couldn't wait!

* * *

**A/N: I forgot why I normally don't do SYOC stories. It's kind of stressful to write for another person's character!**

**So just do me a favor and tell me how I'm doing with interpreting your characters. **

**Also, I extended the deadline! You can now submit your characters until THIS SUNDAY!**

**That means if you are still trying very hard to pull something truly fantabulous together, you can wait until THIS SUNDAY, WHICH IS APRIL 13TH, to submit if you need the time!**

**xox, all the shattered pieces (username change whaaaaaaaat)**


	6. Chapter 5 - Paradise Alpine

I was backstage at the local theater, running over lines for a new song, while I applied my makeup in the small bathroom's dingy mirror. It was a tiny theater, but we were lucky to have one at all in our touristy town in Hawaii.

Apparently, the tourists love coming down from the resort my mom owns and seeing a play. That's great, because all of my friends and I love musical theater and actually write most of the plays we do at Aloha Theater.

I was brushing back my long, blonde hair so I could French braid it before today's early morning rehearsal when my best friend, Lea, came in. She loved doing plays too, but she mostly helped backstage with costumes, lights, and makeup. Sometimes she wrote plays, but that was mostly my friend Rosalynn's job.

"Hey Paradise," she said. "Nice braid."

I groaned and combed out the failed attempt with my fingers. "I can't do it, Lea. It just doesn't work out when I try."

"If you'll do mine, I'll do yours," she offered as she slid in behind me. I flashed a smile at her in thanks and started humming the song we were working on this morning as she braided my hair.

"Oh my god, it's awesome!" I said when she finished. "I don't know how you do it. Seriously. It's amazing."

"Years of practice," she said. "Now can you do one of those fancy fishtail braids on me?" I began working on her dark hair, hurrying so I could go out and practice.

"Thanks," Lea said. "Now go out there and practice. The show's next week."

I nodded and hurried along the dark wood hallway to the small space right off the left side of the stage, hidden by a white curtain. I heard my cue, and I walked out into the light of the stage, smiling, just like I was supposed to do, ready to be the best actress on the stage.

* * *

I left the Aloha Theater an hour and a half later, the headed down to the beach to walk home. It was a shortcut, seeing as not very many people came down the cliffs to the sand, and it was therefore less crowded and only a five minute walk home.

When I arrived, my mom wasn't home. She was still up working at the resort. I lived mostly by myself in a little house down the hill from the front gates of the resort, even though we were technically all supposed to live together. My mom stayed up working until almost midnight and left around four AM, so I never saw her at home. (Sometimes I was glad, because seeing her reminded me of my dead siblings and father, who accidentally drove his car off of a cliff when I was six and they were nine. But not a lot, just sometimes.)

It was just me, alone in the house illuminated by the mid-afternoon sunlight streaming in the large windows facing the ocean. My sister Carissa was probably at the library or hiding out in the nearby bakery where she loved to read. I decided to head up to my bedroom and sit on the balcony I had overlooking the ocean. I slowly walked up the stairs to my room, letting my fingers trail along the worn, pale wooden banister, footsteps muffled by striped rugs faded by the sun's relentless beating. I stopped outside my bedroom door and sat on the smooth wooden floor atop a dull rainbow of yarn and fabric, watching the sun drown itself in the ocean as the sky turned orange and pink and the ocean darkened. It finally sunk beneath the waves, with the last seagulls coming home and the stars coming out, shooting a few halfhearted rays across my face.

I got up, having watched all there was to offer from the sun that night.

I walked in and saw the bright white envelope sitting right in the middle of my pillow. Was it the letter I had been waiting for?

I ran over, opened the envelope, shook out the letter inside, and began reading. I finished it and reread it, not quite believing what I saw.

I had gotten into Shira Brazille's new contest!

I loved watching Alpha Academy on the TV in my room late into the night with my sister, nestled between my pillows and holding a bowl of gourmet popcorn from the resort. And now, I would be in a much cooler version of Alpha Academy!

I fired off a bunch of texts to my family, Lea, and my boyfriend of two years, Erik. I flopped back onto my pillow, smiling. I would get to go on the greatest adventure yet, and even better, prove that I was good enough to be an alpha.

* * *

**Okay. I'm extending the deadline again to this Friday, so that I can get in the last few people. Here are all the open positions:**

*** Midwest region delta**

*** Alaska region gamma and delta**

*** Hawaii region gamma and delta**

*** New England region gamma and delta**

*** Southeast region alpha, beta, gamma, and delta**

**That is all I have open, just those eleven spots!**

**So please help me get these in.**

**Also, (some of you guys might hate me for this) I'm not going to let you readers vote any cliques out. If you leave a review/post on the forum saying who you want in and who you want out and why, I may (aka I will if you have a good reason) take your suggestions.**

**Thanks to all of you who reviewed, submitted, and told me that you liked the plot even. That means so much to me, and just asdfghjkl ilysm guys. (Listen when authors say they need their fans, because they do! They really do!)**

**xox, all the shattered pieces**


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